The Academy will make substantial changes to repair the Oscars awards ceremony, according to the New York Times.

 

All 20 acting nominations went to white people for the second year in a row which caused a furious debate in diversity. The Academy will examine whether the number of nominees for each category should be increased. 

 

According to the New York Times’s sources, the Academy is also considering a more radical (and less likely) move. The four acting categories that have been the subject of so much controversy could also be expanded from five to 10 nominees. Finally, organisers could move to prune older, less active members by removing voting rights for those who do not cast regular ballots.

 

 

The changes will be considered at a meeting of the Academy’s 51-strong governing board on 26 January, and come after its president, Cheryl Boone Isaacs, vowed, on 18 January, to improve diversity in the nominations. The Academy has faced renewed criticism over the past week about its 6,300-strong membership,which the Los Angeles Times said was 94% white and 77% male in 2012, when it last conducted a survey.

 

Black people made up only 2% of members, with representation among Latinos below 2%. By contrast, people from non-white backgrounds make up 36.3% of the US population, according to 2010 census figures.

 

Actor Jada Pinkett Smith, who made the first call for a boycott of the Oscars at the weekend, told a reporter for Entertainment Tonight on Wednesday that the current backlash was not really about the Academy.

 

“It would be my plea to ask all people of colour to take back our power so we can use it in all sectors of our communities. And right now, specifically with African American people, we have some very serious issues, and I think that we have to move together. I’m hoping we can find ways to step together on this, rather than fighting each other.”

 

The record producer, composer and musician Quincy Jones, who has been nominated seven times for Oscars, revealed he had been asked to present an award next month, but would not be agreeing to do so unless given permission to speak at length on diversity.

 

Fast & Furious star Tyrese Gibson joined a number of other well-known African American celebrities, including rapper 50 Cent, who have called for Chris Rock to step down as Oscars host in the wake of the diversity deficit furore.

 

Gibson also pointed out that when black actors are rewarded by the Academy, it is often for non-threatening roles. “If all of the voting Academy members are 80 years old and can only recognise gifts and talents that are associated to you being an actor in a slave movie, or as a nanny, get them out of there, it’s time,” he said.